ltwguns.com

I have a stainless Springfield that is a little lose for my tastes so I want to have it fitted up. I understand that stainless is prone to galling so I was curious what is the preferred method of fitting the slide to the frame on a stainless gun. Is it welding the rails, going with accurails or are the new stainless alloys good enough that you can squeeze and peen? I know Tripp can carbide the rails to prevent galling but is it necessary?

Thanks

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"Domari Nolo"

I second Pete's question. I am thinking of a stainless project myself. Maybe a expert can go over the 1911 in stainless as a whole. I have heard different opinions. To soft, the new stainless is better now. What's the real deal with SS 1911's?

Thank's

Pete G

I am not a gunsmith, but I have a Dan Wesson that I tightened up considerably ( I use it as my BE wadgun), several thousand rounds thru it with no problems or evidence of galling.
And I have a S&W performance center 9mm PPC that is very tightly fit and functions just fine.
I think the early stainless alloys were prone to problems. The Stainless guns of today seem to be more forgiving.

dmiculek, I think that's true. I find though that galling is only a thousandth away and I have to be really careful when tightening a stainless gun. There's no making it too tight and lapping it in, in my experience-- you have to make it "to the numbers" so it will slide on without tapping.

My preference is to weld and remachine over anything else. My experience mirrors Ned's with fitting stainless - no force-fit and lapping, instead machine it to a very close but free running fit and keep it lubed with a light grease.

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shop.HarrisonCustom.com
www.HarrisonCustom.com

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.

I remember reading that the manufacturers of stainless 1911s had remedied the galling problem by using steel of different hardness values between the slide and frame.

Is that true and/or does it go out the window when you're going for a minimum tolerance fit?

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Dave

Member NRA

Well, as I understand it Caspian uses different SS for slides and frames and mine still galled. I was going for the tight fit as spoken about above by Ned and John and learned my lesson. It galled several times and in removing the galled areas left me with a "too loose for me" fit. I had John weld up the frame and I will re-machine it "by the numbers" as Ned mentioned and go that route. BTW, John does nice welds

I like rails when going for the 'superfit', but that's just me.

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CT Brian Custom
'Blending Art With Firepower'

Thank you to everyone that has responded to this thread. This board is an excellent resource.

John, on the weld and remachine approach do you weld with regular carbon steel rod as opposed to stainless rod? In other words are the contact points on the rails effectively changed from stainless to carbon steel and as a result a much tighter fit available, or is it still stainless on stainless and somewhat loser.

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"Domari Nolo"

I personally prefer the weld build up be done with carbon steel, but will do it either way, if the client has a preference. I don't think there is an appreciable difference in the end result of the tightness of fit whichever way you do it. The reason I'd rather use carbon wire is that if the parts run bone-dry, stainless on stainless (I don't care what alloy it is) will gall quicker than if carbon is in the mix.

The feel of a gun that you perceive as being really tight is in reality a gun that has a higher friction fit caused by either extra engagement surface being felt (like Acc-U-Rails) or being so snugly fit that the lube is being scraped off the fitted surfaces as they run. I believe you're better off in the long run to have a fit that has .001" or so clearance, so the lube doesn't scrape off, the gun runs freely and that fit will stay the same for a very long time. In battery, there's no play to feel as all fitting points are direct bearing and clearances are zero, but when it unlocks, nothing drags as it runs.
Said another way, I prefer the bare slide to move freely from it's own weight when mounted on the bare frame and tilted at 45 degrees, yet have no play that you can feel, with a light film of oil on the rails.

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shop.HarrisonCustom.com
www.HarrisonCustom.com

The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.

I as well have heard several oppinions on this matter. With the desire to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible, i too appreciate the time that was taken to go into full explanation on this subject. thanks guys, chad

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Kandros Customs Gunworks
www.kandroscustoms.com

How about tightening a pistol with an alluminum alloy frame? Is there any other way of doing this besides with accurails?

This is a very interesting thread! I recently bought a NIB Colt 'Enhanced' version stainless slide to use on a custom build using a 1991-A1 blue carbon frame.
What if any issues can the gun smith expect when fitting frame/slide? Will this combo gall the slide or frame? Now Im thinking maybe selling this stainless slide
and buying the same one in blue steel. (I dont have enough posts to sell it on the forum yet...its pristine)

The 1991-A1 is in 98% condition, and super snug fit frame/slide just as it came from Colt, when bought NIB in 1991.

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The Spirit of God hath made me, the breath of the Almighty hath given me life

My thoughts on the stainless problem would be to make it as tight as possible before galling set in, and then hard-chrome to add a smidge (I admit it isn't much) and protect the surfaces.

As for the different alloys used by makers now preventing galling, it does so at the fit levels they use. Even with dis-similar alloys, make it too tight and it galls. That's the nature of stainless.

Now, if you wanted to do a "forever" job you'd weld the frame rails with carbon steel, machine to almost fit, then lap and finally melonite the whole thing. But that'd be (just a guess here) a grand in fitting charges? Before you do a single thing else to the gun.

EGW will weld it up and hand fit the slide to the frame and E-treat it for less than $500. Not cheap but if there is a better welder in the business I haven't heard of him. Now I know what direction to head it is now on the list of things I need to have done in the near future.

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"Domari Nolo"

as a tig welder for over 30 years, do they hand weld these or machine weld .??? i believe i could weld one of these frames , but would practice
on a old one first. this type of s/s has carbon (cfe) in it so you can weld it with cfe filler material. it would be like putting a cfe steel frame on it.
also i would use a chrome molly rod such as 80SB2L 1 1/4 chrome.

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HE WHO IS ARMED, NEVER WALKS ALONE